This stiff, upright shrub is characterized by red flower spikes that are shaped like bottle brushes. Flowers are long. The flowers, with their showy stamens, encircle the stem and form 4-inch-long, cylindrical spikes that appear in the spring and summer. The persistent fruits are hard seed capsules that occur in tight clusters around the stem. The stiff, narrow leaves of this shrub are sharply pointed and fragrant when crushed. Bottlebrush grows from 5 to 15 feet tall.